Upcoming Project - Dealer Ruined Brand New Kia

garyg7133

garyg7133

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Got referred to a client yesterday after the dealer "detailed" his brand new Sorento while he was finishing the paperwork. Dealer didn't even offer to fix it (can't imagine why). Told him to find someone and they would reimburse him.

Dealer then hemmed and hawed about the price at which time I composed a terse email for the client to copy the dealer on. It basically stated that the dealer is more than welcome to shop around but advised the client to contact Kia USA and escalate the complaint as the dealer damaged the vehicle pre-delivery. They changed their tune immediately. Car gets dropped off with me on sunday and I'll post the results.
 
garyg7133 said:
Got referred to a client yesterday after the dealer "detailed" his brand new Sorento while he was finishing the paperwork. Dealer didn't even offer to fix it (can't imagine why). Told him to find someone and they would reimburse him.

Dealer then hemmed and hawed about the price at which time I composed a terse email for the client to copy the dealer on. It basically stated that the dealer is more than welcome to shop around but advised the client to contact Kia USA and escalate the complaint as the dealer damaged the vehicle pre-delivery. They changed their tune immediately. Car gets dropped off with me on sunday and I'll post the results.
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Dang, I wouldn't have even taken it at that point and I definitely would complain to someone. Idk what I would do to be honest I would have been angry to say the least. Things might get ugly. I have a sorento so this hits close to home.

Idk why so many dealers are attempting to do this stuff. Why do they all have rotaries and cutting pads within reach of these untrained detailers and lot boys? You hear more horror stories about new and used cars you would think they would find away to avoid this by now.
 
They shouldn't have such easy access to anything more then a DA and a finishing pad IMO. It all falls back to the manager/owner they should know better. at this point.

You shouldn't need to use a rotary or a heavy compound on a new vehicle once it leaves the factory.
 
That’s just complete neglect and from shear laziness. I worked with these kind of guys years ago.
 
The customer closed the deal in the early evening so he didn't see the damage until the next day. They wash it, it looks shiny under the dealership lights and the next day you wake up to a horror.
 
The ole dealer installed swirl option. Looking forward to your results!
 
fightnews said:
You hear more horror stories about new and used cars you would think they would find away to avoid this by now.
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Yes, you would. And I see this every damn day at the dealer I work for. Makes me cringe.

But........ As mentioned here on AGO in the past, 99% of people have no problem with it (swirl/squirrel like Mike P says).
 
This has been going on at dealerships for years. It's mind-boggling that apparently management and worker bees alike are happy to slap a rotary to car paint and not be interested enough to read a single article about how to do it properly. It really does not take that much more effort to do it right.
 
What puzzles me the most is that on some level, these workers think that they are doing the right thing by taking a polisher to the brand new cars. I obviously understand that there is a learning curve and certainly on the job training is in order, but whoever this kid is/was will probably catch a lot of heat for this.

When I recently applied for a F/T detailing job at a dealership, they were excited to possibly be getting someone with experience and who had results to back up my application. It didn't work out because of salary, but you'd think that the dealers would want to set their staff up for success and would want to have a reputation as somewhere that you COULD take your car for detailing.... Ok. I gotta get off the soap box.
 
It's not going to change until the customer goes above the dealership heads and complain and more so cancel the buy. Especially when clearcoat is already so thin on vehicals now days. There is a hack job done by the dealership and then a detailer who needs to be compounding and polishing it again. Now the paint just has max 1-2 correction left or even if it's that. With the thinner clearcoat you have even less of the UV protection left in the paint.

Sorry I know you have a business to run. But I would actually recommend the customer to get in contact with the Kia USA in this case. And see if he could be replaced with a new car. If they would offering a repaint you as a customer has the vehicals value lowered very much already there. This is why it's not going to change as the dealership gets happy to pay the extra instead of being talked straight by the Kia USA. I can say this much that a dealership here in Sweden would not be long lived if they deliver vehicals like this. But it's also in a different way as the dealership is certified by the car brands. So if there gets some complains and the dealership just keep going. They get not longer to sell that brand anymore. And dealerships of new cars this is and they only have 1 or 2 different brands of new vehicals they sells. But even the used vehicals dealerships don't get in to selling vehicals that are newer and of a higher value if they don't delivering vehicals in a good condition. Sure there are some hack dealerships here too but they are not very common. Usually it's very proffessional setups their detailing bays. And the customer often leaves it in for both service and repair work and detailing at least by the bigger ones.

You will get this looking great again.
 
Dealers (at least around here) are all about speed, speed, speed when it comes down to it. They could care less about proper techniques.

SPOT DELIVERY! Car was purchased at 3pm right off the lot, and sales wants it to be "Fully Detailed" for delivery at 4pm.

Mind you, this new car has been sitting out on the lot for upward of 3 months sometimes with zero protection, and contaminates galore.

The guys who "Detail" are under the gun, and have no choice but to do a hack job. And like I said before, 99.9% of buyers are either unaware of this, or simply do not give a rats a$$ about it.

Sounds crazy to us 'Geeks, but it's true. I've seen it a thousand times. :(
 
Your right Paul . I work for a new car dealer , and somethimes the detailer are under the gun. I would think that you pick up the car on the next day, but most people want there car NOW.
 
PaulMys said:
Dealers (at least around here) are all about speed, speed, speed when it comes down to it. They could care less about proper techniques.

SPOT DELIVERY! Car was purchased at 3pm right off the lot, and sales wants it to be "Fully Detailed" for delivery at 4pm.

Mind you, this new car has been sitting out on the lot for upward of 3 months sometimes with zero protection, and contaminates galore.

The guys who "Detail" are under the gun, and have no choice but to do a hack job. And like I said before, 99.9% of buyers are either unaware of this, or simply do not give a rats a$$ about it.

Sounds crazy to us 'Geeks, but it's true. I've seen it a thousand times. :(
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The detailer it self is not a problem. But again the dealership should have said this is not possible to detail the car before delivered. Then offered to take care of it at a later time or let the customer deal with it him self. If the customer don't agree on this and wanted to have the car the the day before and is in such of a hurry. The dealership should either deny the sale or be perfectly clear with what results the so said new car will looking after a hour detail with a polisher. Option could be just a deep cleaning wash and a spray wax instead of buffing a car under a hour.

I just goes how I would think as a dealership owner. Selling vehicals that in the end of the day is damaged. Would be a no go for me. And if the customer don't agree on that and wanted impossible results. Then be my guest and look for another car else where. But this is also what people of today can be like. They expect the impossible but get angry when the results don't are satisfied. That's also something that if the dealerships do some kind collaboration they can set the standards. And instead sell their own grandma with the deal of a new car. Or almost at least LOL.

Know that it's different between the countries. But a dealership that sells new vehicals here in Sweden. Don't sell the them from the lot. They gets ordered after the customers wants and needs and delivered in that. Then the dealership detailers does a new car prep and if wanted they do a full detail with protection and such. And it's not a typical dealership protection either. One popular coating that the dealerships is applying is the new to you Meguiars M788 and before that the M188. This is both benefits and downside. The downside is that it takes longer to get the vehical delivered and also they can start with a base option that don't has so many features and extra things on them and adding this extra usually gets a higher price in the end. The benefits is that you get a new vehical and not one sitting on the lot for a long time and maybe test driven too and you get what you want in color and other options. They have some demo vehicals that you can test drive and get a feeling of the vehical. These can be bought to a lowered price when a new year modell comes out. So it's a benefit for the dealership also since they don't need to be haveing a big lot or building to store the new vehicals in. There you see the trade in vehicals that getting sold used often. Then some have new vehicals that is displayed only inside. I know you can buy and ordering this way to in the US. What I don't understand is that the dealerships sets their reputation up and delivering damaged new vehicals. Just think about what a business trick it would be to have a dealership that delivers new and used vehicals in great conditions. Say to the customer to look around at other dealerships and inspect the conditions of their vehicals on the lot. Perfect way to spread out that you care about the customer to get the best possible and that you as a dealership take good care of them in the future with services and repairs and detailing. That in my book would be something that I would like to have when buying a new vehical. Proffessional customer service simply. So it's much as from the owner and from the customer that sets the standards on how it is in a business.
 
I work for a dealer and our people are very well trained. When buying a car used or new I always tell them do not let them even look at the car I will take care of it. I usually get the price of detailing off or get some options on the car. I too have seen to many get damaged. My father worked at a Chevrolet dealer for over 30 years and that was his complaint all the time. the answer was always time time time.
 
SWETM said:
The detailer it self is not a problem. But again the dealership should have said this is not possible to detail the car before delivered. Then offered to take care of it at a later time or let the customer deal with it him self. If the customer don't agree on this and wanted to have the car the the day before and is in such of a hurry. The dealership should either deny the sale or be perfectly clear with what results the so said new car will looking after a hour detail with a polisher. Option could be just a deep cleaning wash and a spray wax instead of buffing a car under a hour.

I just goes how I would think as a dealership owner. Selling vehicals that in the end of the day is damaged. Would be a no go for me. And if the customer don't agree on that and wanted impossible results. Then be my guest and look for another car else where. But this is also what people of today can be like. They expect the impossible but get angry when the results don't are satisfied. That's also something that if the dealerships do some kind collaboration they can set the standards. And instead sell their own grandma with the deal of a new car. Or almost at least LOL.

Know that it's different between the countries. But a dealership that sells new vehicals here in Sweden. Don't sell the them from the lot. They gets ordered after the customers wants and needs and delivered in that. Then the dealership detailers does a new car prep and if wanted they do a full detail with protection and such. And it's not a typical dealership protection either. One popular coating that the dealerships is applying is the new to you Meguiars M788 and before that the M188. This is both benefits and downside. The downside is that it takes longer to get the vehical delivered and also they can start with a base option that don't has so many features and extra things on them and adding this extra usually gets a higher price in the end. The benefits is that you get a new vehical and not one sitting on the lot for a long time and maybe test driven too and you get what you want in color and other options. They have some demo vehicals that you can test drive and get a feeling of the vehical. These can be bought to a lowered price when a new year modell comes out. So it's a benefit for the dealership also since they don't need to be haveing a big lot or building to store the new vehicals in. There you see the trade in vehicals that getting sold used often. Then some have new vehicals that is displayed only inside. I know you can buy and ordering this way to in the US. What I don't understand is that the dealerships sets their reputation up and delivering damaged new vehicals. Just think about what a business trick it would be to have a dealership that delivers new and used vehicals in great conditions. Say to the customer to look around at other dealerships and inspect the conditions of their vehicals on the lot. Perfect way to spread out that you care about the customer to get the best possible and that you as a dealership take good care of them in the future with services and repairs and detailing. That in my book would be something that I would like to have when buying a new vehical. Proffessional customer service simply. So it's much as from the owner and from the customer that sets the standards on how it is in a business.
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Agreed on every word of your post, Tony.

But sadly, not the way it happens here. :(
 
Spent the day on the Kia. Client sent multiple texts after picking up the car thanking me. Wound up using Pinnacle Fine and Intermediate swirl removers, m105 , LC ccs and hydro tech pads and topped with Mother's synth wax.

After speaking to the client last night, this dealer will never see a dime of my money.

On the day they were originally supposed to get the car, the battery was dead. The salesman tried to jump it but reversed the cables and cooked the computer. They had to install a new one overnight. I have a very bad feeling for this client because it was VERY evident that there were a lot of goings on under the hood. Oil had been spilled, forget the amount of dirt that was on the motor, I had to remove whatever lube they had sprayed into the door handles that had run down the door, the rear bumper had scratches all over it ... I have my doubts that they will be able to keep this car for the long haul but at least I was able to get the paint to where they wanted it.
 
Thanks ! I got about 2 hours in before I sent the first update to the client. He couldn't believe it. When he picked it up he couldn't stop raving about it. I just hope the dealer makes good on reimbursing him.
 
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